ImageNations

[T]here is only one sin, only one. And that is the sin of theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that? ... When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. ... There is no act more wretched than stealing. Page 19/20 A few times, I'd even come close to winning the winter tournament - once, I'd made it to the final three. But coming close wasn't the same as winning, was it? He had won because winners won and everyone else just went home. Page 59 But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie. Page 61 For you a thousand times over. Page 71 And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded; not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gather...

Khaled Hosseini's debut novel, The Kite Runner  (2003; 391), could easily pass as the best non-African authored book I've read this year, if not for 1984 . The novel tracks the life and friendship of two individuals, Amir - the son of a Kabul merchant - and Hassan, the child of their servant, Ali as they grow in the affluent suburb of Wazir Akbar Khan District of Kabul. As their friendship unfolds, the history of a land that has been plagued by local and international wars unfolds. In fact, it is this very wars, leading to the overthrow of monarchs and governments, that dictated how the friendship between these two individuals went. Yet, the precursor of all the events is the age old tradition or practice of discrimination based on physical features. Amir has slim face and nose and is a Pashtun so is considered to be aristocratic, worthy of ruling the land and Hassan his friend has a moon-shaped face, slit-eyes and a Hazara so is cast to be a servant forever. ...